Claudio Monteverdi: Messa a quattro voci et Salmi of 1650, Vol .2 (2018)

performed by Alastair Ross (harpsichord), Alastair Ross (organ), Andrea Jones (violin), Ben Davies (bass), Daniel Collins (alto), David Clegg (alto), David Miller (chitarrone), Eamonn Dougan (bass), Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Frances Kelly (harp)
composed by Alessandro Piccinini, Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli

The Sixteen and its leader, Harry Christophers, have devoted several albums to late Monteverdi, and all are quite good: Christophers' note that the choir found the sessions rewarding seems entirely believable, and the ensemble seems to get back to its historical performance roots with sharp, small-ensemble singing and lively, shifting continuo playing. This may be an especially choice item in the series, for it covers music that has not been as widely recorded as other Monteverdi choral works. The Messa a quattro voci et ... Read More

The Sixteen and its leader, Harry Christophers, have devoted several albums to late Monteverdi, and all are quite good: Christophers' note that the choir found the sessions rewarding seems entirely believable, and the ensemble seems to get back to its historical performance roots with sharp, small-ensemble singing and lively, shifting continuo playing. This may be an especially choice item in the series, for it covers music that has not been as widely recorded as other Monteverdi choral works. The Messa a quattro voci et salmi (Mass for four voices and psalms) comes from a volume Monteverdi proposed for publication after his death; his student Cavalli, whose elegant Salve regina is included here, complied with the request. The central attraction is the mass itself, which has been neglected because it is written in the conservative "stile antico" or antique style, the polyphonic style of the 16th century, rather than the newer choral music influenced by the growing genre of opera. From the perspective... Read Less